Email Checkin

Email Check-in

Overview

Sync mail into IntentMail's local store and return one scoped, priority-ranked briefing. This workflow never changes provider message state; sync does update the local cache and may refresh locally stored OAuth tokens.

Prerequisites

• Run IntentMail on Node.js 20 or newer.
• Connect at least one Gmail or Outlook account through IntentMail OAuth.
• Configure an AI provider for generated triage and summaries.

Authentication and privacy

• Require an account previously connected through mail_auth_start; this skill does not run OAuth or request secrets in chat.
• OAuth tokens and indexed mail remain in the self-hosted IntentMail process.
• Anthropic, OpenAI, Groq, Cerebras, or Vertex receives the message/thread content needed for requested AI triage or summaries. Ollama keeps inference local. State that boundary if the user asks about privacy.
• See authentication and data boundaries.

Workflow

1. Resolve the account. If the user supplied no ID, call mcp__intentmail__mail_list_accounts; ask which account when several are active. Never guess an account from message content.
2. Confirm the requested window and cap. Default to the digest tool's 50-item limit; use unreadOnly or sinceHours when the request supplies that scope.
3. Call mcp__intentmail__mail_sync for the selected account. Do not set forceInitial: true or raise maxMessages without explaining the broader fetch and receiving approval.
4. Call mcp__intentmail__mail_daily_digest with the account and scope. Prefer its structured payload over rebuilding the digest manually.
5. If the digest tool is unavailable, use mcp__intentmail__mail_search for the bounded window, mcp__intentmail__mail_triage for classification, and mcp__intentmail__mail_summarize only for threads that need compression.
6. Render high-priority and needs-response items first, then the remaining category groups. Preserve uncertainty and citations from tool output.

Validation

• Confirm the returned account ID matches the selected account.
• Report sync type, added/deleted/label-change counts, and sync timestamp.
• Distinguish provider-deleted items reported by sync from actions taken by this skill; the skill itself does not delete or archive mail.
• Do not claim an empty digest means an empty provider inbox when sync failed.

Output

Return the account and time window, sync receipt, digest counts, P1-P4 groups, response needs, detected deadlines, concise summaries, uncertainty, and any failed or omitted stage. Do not expose message bodies beyond what the user asked to review.

Error Handling

• No account or expired OAuth: stop and direct the user to the explicit IntentMail authentication flow; never solicit a token.
• AI provider unavailable: return a bounded mail_search result and label it untriaged rather than inventing priorities.
• Partial sync or provider rate limit: report the tool error and the last successful sync time; do not present cached results as current.
• Action requested: stop and hand off to email-triage-actions; no provider write tools are allowed here.
• Uncertain priority or deadline: show the uncertainty and source text.

Examples

Check my Outlook inbox for unread mail from the last 24 hours. Sync normally,
then show P1/P2 and needs-response items first. Do not change message state.

Summarize the active Gmail account with the default 50-item cap. If AI triage
is unavailable, return an explicitly untriaged unread list.

Resources

• Authentication and data boundaries
• Digest contract: src/ai/daily-digest.ts
• Companion provider-write workflow: email-triage-actions